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ISC2 CC Practice Question: A hospital uses role-based access control (RBAC)…
A hospital uses role-based access control (RBAC) for its electronic health records. Nurses can view patient records; doctors can view and edit; administrators can only view administrative data. Recently, a nurse was able to edit a patient's record, which should only be allowed for doctors. The investigation finds that the nurse's role was incorrectly assigned a 'doctor' role due to a misconfiguration. To prevent recurrence, the access control system should be reviewed. Which is the best long-term solution?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between reactive fixes (like removing a single user's permission) and systemic governance processes (like periodic recertification), trapping candidates who choose a quick technical fix instead of a long-term administrative control.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Conduct quarterly role reviews and recertification
The root cause is a role misconfiguration, and the best long-term solution is to implement a process of periodic role reviews and recertification. This ensures that role assignments are regularly audited and validated against current job responsibilities, preventing role creep and unauthorized privilege accumulation. In RBAC, the principle of least privilege is maintained through ongoing governance, not through a one-time fix.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Implement mandatory access control (MAC) with security labels
Why it's wrong here
MAC is overly complex for a hospital EHR and would require labeling all records, which is impractical.
- ✗
Remove the nurse's ability to edit records
Why it's wrong here
This addresses the symptom only for that nurse; root cause (misconfiguration) remains.
- ✗
Implement user behavior analytics to detect anomalies
Why it's wrong here
Behavior analytics detect incidents but do not prevent the initial misconfiguration.
- ✓
Conduct quarterly role reviews and recertification
Why this is correct
Regular reviews ensure roles are correctly assigned, preventing misconfigurations over time.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Security Governance and Compliance
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
Key term
Misconfiguration
Misconfiguration is when a system, device, or software is set up incorrectly, leaving it vulnerable to attack or causing it to malfunction.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CC exam.